Beery-Buktenica Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration

This article or area is currently under construction and may only be partially complete. Please come back soon to see the finished work! (4/03/2024)
Original Editor - Romy Hageman
Top Contributors - Romy Hageman, Kim Jackson and Vidya Acharya

Purpose[edit | edit source]

The Beery-Buktenica Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration (Beery VMI) is a gold standard measure designed to identify challenges related to the coordination of visual and motor skills in both children and adults[1]. Difficulties in this area can affect the learning ability of children[2][3][4], but can also be an early sign of dementia. It is the most commonly used standardized test for testing the visual-motor integration[5][6] [7]and mainly employed in educational, medical, and research context[8]. The Beery VMI is a norm-referenced test that had been standardized through five extensive large-scale studies conducted in the USA[9].

The key objectives of using the Beery VMI include:

  • Early identification: Detecting visual-motor integration problems at an early age, allowing for timely intervention and support[10].
  • Intervention planning: Assisting in the development of targeted intervention plans for children with visual-motor integration problems.

The Beery VMI is composed of one central task: Visual-Motor Integration (VMI), and two additional tasks: Visual Perception (VP) and Motor Coordination (MC)[11][12]. The Visual Perception and Motor Coordination both gather more information concerning an individual's abilities in the event of a poor performance on the VMI.

The Beery VMI is a useful screening tool for writing[13]. Academic skills necessary for visual motor integration:

  • Gross motor skills
  • Fine motor skills
  • Visual Perception
  • Visuomotor development

Intended population[edit | edit source]

  • Target group: Individuals aged 2-100 years[1][8]
  • Children with Autism spectrum disorder (ASD)[5][14][15]
  • Children with traumatic brain injury[16]
  • Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder[16]
  • Children with special needs[17]

Target examiner population[edit | edit source]

The Beery VMI can be used by[7]:

  • (Pediatric) Occupational therapists
  • (Pediatric) Physiotherapists
  • Educational Psychologists

Technique[edit | edit source]

  • Administration time: Visual Motor Integration approximately 10-15 min. The supplemental Visual Perception (VP) and Motor Coordination (MC) tasks approcimately 5 min each[8].
  • It is crucial to adhere to the proper testing sequence: start with the Beery VMI, followed by Visual Perception, and finally Motor Coordination. This sequence is essential as the exposure of one test may influence the outcomes of another, and result in significantly affected norms[18].
  • Visual Motor Integration: the individual copies a series of geometric shapes in a developmental sequence using pen and paper. Children under the age of 5 start by mimicking the examiner's drawing tasks. The shapes start with simple line drawings and progress to more complex figures[19].
  • Visual Perception: this task assesses an individual's visual capabilities without involving the coordination of fine motor skills. For children below the age of 5, the initial steps involve pointing to various items, such as body parts and pictures from the manual. This is to gauge their ability to visually distinguish gross differences and objects. Older children and adults start by being presented with a set of visually similar figures, with one designated as the target. They must point to the item in the array that matches the target figure. The examiner records the responses, eliminating the need for fine motor control. The elapsed time is monitored from item 7, and the task ends after 3 minutes.
  • Motor Coordination: this task assesses fine motor skills independently of visual perceptual abilities. The initial three items can be evaluated based on prior observations by the examiner, considering factors whether the individual has grasped the pencil with the thumb and at least one finger. If succesful in these initial tasks, participants are given three practice items to learn how to connect dots and draw within specified borders. They are then directed to proceed with subsequent tasks within a 5-minute time limit.

Scoring[edit | edit source]

The manual offers scoring guidelines and examples for all three tasks.

  • In the case of the VMI items, the examiner may apply various measurements and angles to determine a score. However, a general guideline for all tasks is ''if in doubt, score the item as passed''. The examiner manually scores from zero (no shape resemblance) to one (shape resemblance)[19].
  • For Visual Perception, one point is given for each correct item based on the individual's initial response.
  • In Motor Coordination, one point is awarded for each item where pencil marks are present between all dots and within the specified borders. There are specific additional rules for items 27 and 30.
  • Raw scores on the Beery VMI can range from 1 to 27, with a higher score reflecting a better performance[1]. Raw scores can be converted into norm scores, which are adjusted for age.
  • Poor performance on the Beery VMI is associated with difficulties in spatial organization of written text and maths[2].

Evidence[edit | edit source]

The psychometric properties of the Beery VMI are:

  • Excellent Test-retest reliability (0.84-0.88)[1][11][20]
  • Interrater reliability of (0.90-0.93)[1][11][20]
  • Internal consistency (0.81-0.82)[11]
  • The Beery VMI stood out in terms of psychometric properties among other instruments assessing writing readiness[21].
  • The Beery VMI has strong construct validity based on the construction of test items and strong predictive validity regarding academic outcomes[22]
  • The Beery VMI is considered to be a culture-free assessment tool[23][24][25][26]
  • The Beery VMI is not sensitive in detecting change in visual-motor integration[27][28], so it should not be used as an outcome measure for assessing changes after a handwriting intervention[15][29][30][31][32].

The scoring can be time consuming, and the results can be influenced by the examiner's subjectivity and bias. This can potentially impact the sensitivity of the Beery VMI[11].

Resources[edit | edit source]

add any relevant resources here

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Beery KE, Beery NA. The Beery-Buktenica developmental test of visual-motor integration: Administration, scoring, and teaching manual (6th ed.). 2010; Minneapolis, MN: NSC Pearson
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Barnhardt C, Borsting E, Deland P, Pham N, Vu T. Relationship between visual-motor integration and spatial organization of written language and math. Optometry and Vision Science. 2005; 82: 138-143
  3. ↑ Abou-El-Saad T. Afsah O, Baz H, Shaaban W. The relationship between visual-motor integration and handwriting skills in Arabic-speaking Egyptian children at the age of 4-6 years. Egyptian Journal of Otolaryngology. 2017; 33(4): 663-669
  4. ↑ Khatib L, Li Y, Geary DC, Popov V. Meta-analysis on the relation between visuomotor integration and academic achievement: Role of educational stage and disability. Educational Research Review. 2021; 35(2): 100412
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Green RR, Bigler ED, Froehlich A, Prigge MBD, Travers BG, Cariello AN, Lainhart JE. Beery VMI performance in autism spectrum disorder. Child Neuropsychology. 2015;22(7),795-817
  6. ↑ Brown GT, Rodger S, Brown A, Roever C. A profile of Canadian pediatric occupational therapy practice. Occupational Therapy in Health Care. 2007; 21(4), 39-69
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Bagatell N, Hartmann K, Meriano C. The evaluation process and assessment choice of pediatric practitioners in the Northeast United States. Journal of Occupational Therapy, Schools, & Early Intervention. 2013; 6(2): 143-157
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 McCrimmon AW, Altomare AA, Matchullis RL, Jitlina K. Test Review: The Beery Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment. 2012; 30(6): 588-592
  9. ↑ Lim C, Tan P, Koh C, Koh E, Guo H, Yusoff N, See C, Tan T. Beery-buktenica developmental test of visual-motor integration (Beery-VMI): Lessons from exploration of cultural variations in visual-motor integration performance of pre-schoolers. Child: Care, Health and Development. 2015; 41(2): 213-221
  10. ↑ Oberer N, Gashaj V, Roebers CM. Executive functions, visual-motor integration, physical fitness and academic achievement: Longitudinal relations in typically developing children. Human Movement Science. 2018; 58: 69-79
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 Axford C, Joosten A, Harris C. iPad applications that required a range of motor skills promoted motor coordination in children commencing primary school. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal. 2018; 65(1): 146-155
  12. ↑ Hunter E, Potvin M. Effectiveness of a handwriting curriculum in kindergarten classrooms. Journal of Occupational Therapy, Schools, & Early Intervention. 2020; 13(1): 55-68
  13. ↑ Daly CJ, Kelley GT, Krauss A. Relationship between visual-motor integration and hand writing skills of children in kindergarten: A modified replication study. American Journal of Occupational Therapy. 2003; 57(4): 459-462
  14. ↑ Carsone B, Green K, Torrence W, Henry B. Beery Visual Motor Integration Scores of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Undergoing Occupational Therapy. International Journal of Special Education. 2023; 38(1): 43-46
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Ohl AM, Schelly D. No evidence of a minimal clinically important difference for the Beery-Buktenica Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration in children with autism spectrum disorder. Britisch Journal of Occupational Therapy. 2021; 85(2)
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Sutton GP, Barchard KA, Bello DT, Thaler NS, Ringdahl E, Mayfield J, Allen DN. Beery-buktenica developmental test of visual-motor integration performance in children with traumatic brain injury and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Psychological Assessment. 2011; 23(2): 805-809
  17. ↑ Papadopoulos A, Vasileiad I. Detection of difficulties and intervention programme for the improvement of visual-motor integration in preschoolers with special educational needs. Research Square. 2024
  18. ↑ Hofmeyr de Villiers N. Effects of a gross motor skills intervention on visual-motor integration of neuro-typical 5-to 6-year-old children. Faculty of Education at Stellenbosch University. 2019
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Duiser I, van der Kamp J, Ledebt A, Savelsbergh G. Relationship between the quality of children's handwriting and the Beery Buktenica Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration after one year of writing tuition. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal. 2014; 61(1): 76-82
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Harvey EM, Leonard-Green TK, Mohan KM, Kulp MT, Davis AL, Miller JM, Twelker JD, Campus I, Leslie K. Interrater and test-retest reliability of the beery visual-motor integration in schoolchildren. Optometry and Vision Science. 2017; 94(5): 598-605
  21. ↑ van Hartingsveldt MJ, de Groot IJM, Aarts PBM, Nijhuis-van der Sanden MWG. Standardized tests of handwriting readiness: A systematic review of the literature. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology. 2011; 53(6): 506-515
  22. ↑ Pavlos K, McKenzie M, Knightbridge E, Bourke-Taylor H. Initial psychometric evaluation of the Hartley knows writing shapes assessment version 2 with typically developing children between the ages of 4 and 8. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal. 2020; 68(1): 32-42
  23. ↑ Goyen TA, Duff S. Discriminant validity of the developmental test of visual-motor integration in relation to children with handwriting dysfunction. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal. 2005; 52(2): 109-115
  24. ↑ Overvelde A, Hulstijn W. Handwriting development in grade 2 and grade 3 primary school children with normal, at risk, or dysgraphic characteristics. Research in Developmental Disabilities. 2011; 32(2): 540-548
  25. ↑ Parush S, Lifshitz N, Yochman A, Weintraub N. Relationships between handwriting components and underlying perceptual-motor functions among students during copying and dictation tasks. OTJR: Occupation, Participation & Health. 2010; 30(1): 39-48
  26. ↑ van Hoorn JF, Maathuis CGB, Peters LHJ, Hadders-Algra M. Handwriting, visuomotor integration, and neurological condition at school age. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology. 2010; 52(10): 941-947
  27. ↑ Bazyk S, Michaud P, Goodman G, Papp P, Hawkins E, Welch MA. Integrating occupational therapy services in a kindergarten curriculum: A look at the outcomes. American Journal of Occupational Therapy. 2009; 63: 160-171
  28. ↑ McGarrigle J, Nelson A. Evaluating a school skills programme for Australian indigenous children: A pilot study. Occupational Therapy International. 2006; 13: 1-20
  29. ↑ Howe TH, Roston KL, Sheu CF, Hinojosa J. Assessing handwriting intervention effectiveness in elementary school students: A two-group controlled study. American Journal of Occupational Therapy. 2013; 67: 19-26
  30. ↑ Poon KW, Li-Tsang CWP, Weiss TPL, Rosenblum S. The effect of a computerized visual perception and visual-motor integration training program on improving Chinese handwriting of children with handwriting difficulties. Research in Developmental Disabilities. 2010; 31: 1552-1560
  31. ↑ Pfeiffer B, Moskowits B, Paoletti A, Brusilovskiy E, Zylstra S, Murray T. Developmental test of visual-motor integration (VMI): An effective outcome measure for handwriting interventions for kindergarten, first-grade, and second-grade students? American Journal of Occupational Therapy. 2015; 69(4): 1-7
  32. ↑ Prunty M, Barnett AL, Wilmut K, Plumb M. Visual perceptual and handwriting skills in children with Developmental Coordination Disorder. Human Movement Science. 2016; 49: 54-65
Retrieved from "https://www.physio-pedia.com/index.php?title=Beery-Buktenica_Developmental_Test_of_Visual-Motor_Integration&oldid=351148"